


wanderlust

by ohallows



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Budding Love, Coda, Fluff, Goodbyes, Innuendo, Kissing, Other, to episode 180
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:02:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: Cel gets to say a quick goodbye to Barnes before heading off with the rest of the party.
Relationships: Commander James Barnes/Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	wanderlust

**Author's Note:**

> why didn’t we get a cel saying goodbye to barnes scene in canon. hello. 
> 
> working title: fuck you let celbarnes talk
> 
> ANYWAYS WHAT A GOOD EPISODE I AM REELING

Cel stands in the center of their room, hands on their hips as they try to decide what else they need for the journey. Sohra and the other elders had said that it wouldn’t be a terribly long journey - they haven’t given Cel an exact timeframe, so they figure they may as well pack for a few days just in case. Plus, having a bag of holding has come in incredibly useful, considering they don’t really need to worry about space anymore. Their dad had always taught them about the importance of being prepared; it’s come in handy on numerous occasions, both when Cel was trekking across America or needing to get out of a village quickly. Some… better circumstances than others.

“Okay,” they mutter to themselves, counting the items off on their fingers. “Enough clothes for two days, check. Hair gel, check. Toothbrush and toothpaste, check. Healing potions, check. Water breathing potions just in _case…_ check. Some transformation potions, mhm… Crossbow, yes, of course, um. Hm, what am I _missing…”_

The goggles on the edge of the table catch their eye, and they snap their fingers, leaning down to grab them as they stick them into their bag. “Spare goggles! Obviously. I always seem to _lose_ mine, or they break, and then where would I be? I mean, we’re basically in the middle of nowhere, and then-“

They hear a quiet knock on their door and stop speaking, straightening up curiously. They turn to see Barnes standing there, a bit of a rueful smile on his face as he watches them finish packing. 

“Need any help, Cel?” he asks, and Cel smiles back at him, folding the last pair of clothes that they’d grabbed and sticking it into the bag of holding. 

“Think I’m alright, actually,” they say. “But a bit of company is more than welcome. Especially if it’s you.”

“Oh. Er. Good, er, because. That’s why I. Yeah, good,” Barnes stammers, and the hint of a blush on his cheeks as he runs an awkward hand through his hair makes Cel smile even more widely. They kind of like seeing him without the dour, serious countenance of a soldier, and they like it even more when _they’re_ the one doing it. Zolf’s managed it only a _few_ times as well, usually when Barnes is already drunk and easier to rile up, but Cel likes knowing that they’re one of the few people who can really get Barnes to drop the mask. 

“Close the door behind you?” Cel asks, and he does so with a solid click. They sit down on the bed, everything all packed away and ready to go, and before long, Barnes joins them as well. 

Neither of them speak, for a moment; this thing between them might be new, but goodbyes are old hat for both of them. Cel reaches over and takes Barnes’ hand, and leans in to rest their head on his shoulder. Barnes rubs his thumb comfortingly over their knuckles.

It’s… strange, really. They still haven’t _really_ talked about what they are to each other, beyond the flirting yesterday and a fantastic, _wonderful,_ er - _night,_ the night before. Cel doesn’t really… feel a need to put a label on it, yet. It’s still new, still… an exploratory period, they suppose. 

“I’m sorry you can’t come with us,” they say, instead of the myriad of other thoughts rattling about in their head. “It’s - we’ve only got space for five, and I think if we leave Wilde here, Amelia might just throw him over the side of the bear for fun? Plus, he is technically our boss, so I suppose he _was_ the obvious choice, but I still wish we could have taken all of you. I wonder if there’s a way I could modify a spell, or maybe someone’s _weight,_ and then we could -“

“Don’t worry about it,” Barnes says. “Not really a fan of heights, myself. The airship’s been a right awful time if I’m being honest - present company excluded, of course. Would rather have my boots on the deck of a ship on the ocean any day.”

Cel hums. “Really? No flying for you?”

Barnes shrugs. “I mean - I dunno, you do it once, you’ve kind of seen the thrill of it. I’m happy enough to stay back and let the big birds carry you all away to get some answers about this whole war we’re in.”

“Mm,” Cel says. “Well, I’m hoping we get some satisfying ones. Wilde might go spare if we don’t. I wonder if we’ll even need to continue on to Svalbard after this, actually? I mean, we needed to get information on the seed _,_ and we, well, might be able to do that here? I suppose it depends on what they _tell_ us, if this ends up being related or a terribly lucky coincidence but not actually having any _impact_ or… any combination of these. Or something else! It’s like a fun experiment, except. The whole world is at stake.”

They end with an awkward little laugh, and then quiet down as Barnes continues rubbing their knuckles.

“I’m not really the ideas man, here,” Barnes says. “That’s more for the lot of you. I’m just here to listen to orders and help out where I can.”

Cel smiles and curls in a little bit closer to him. “You do more than enough. Truly.”

“Do you need any help here while you’re gone?” Barnes asks, and Cel considers for a second.

There’s not much to be done in the city. It’s mostly felt like a holding pattern, waiting for someone to tell them what the next thing to do would be. Most of the trip has felt like that, if Cel’s being honest. A little over two weeks on an airship is a lot of time to be cooped up into a relatively crowded and condensed space, but the entire name of the game has been to hurry up and wait for so long that Cel - nevermind the rest of them - isn't completely sure what to do now that they have some momentum again. 

“Actually, while we’re gone, can you find out what’s going on with Azu’s ex? That would be, uh. Nice to have sorted before we make it back. Maybe bring Kiko in on that, she’s definitely got it in her to be intimidating,” Cel muses, and Barnes pulls away, a clearly exaggerated insulted look on his face.

“Oi, I can be intimidating enough on my own,” he says, offended, and Cel nods. 

“Mhm. Of course,” they say, fighting to keep a straight face. Barnes _isn't_ wrong, of course, but it is fun to tease him. “Bring Kiko anyway?”

Barnes grumbles a bit, but eventually relents. “Fine,” he says, but his tone is light enough that Cel knows he’ll be happy to do so. “Anything else on the list? Don’t really have much to do around here, not with the lot of you off. Would be nice to have something to work on.”

Cel taps their thigh with a finger, trying to think. “Oh, if you could find out more about the ship, that’d be _incredibly_ helpful, actually. I’m - I mean, I know that these very nice people mentioned they’d be willing to assist me with fixing it up, but I’m not completely sure where we stand on that… everything’s been a bit of a blur recently, what with -“ they gesture vaguely to the air around them, and Barnes nods in understanding.

“Ship, got it,” he says. “And, er, if you need any help with that later on… might not know a thing about the skies, but I do know a mite about sailing ships. Just let me know if you need me.”

Cel’s lips quirk up into a smile at that. “Oh, I _definitely_ will, don’t worry about that,” they murmur. 

Barnes definitely picks up on the innuendo, based on the heat slowly rising in his cheeks. He coughs, clearing his throat, and the grip he has on their hand gets infinitesimally tighter. 

“What else?” he asks, voice a little rough, and Cel will absolutely need to remember how to bring that out in him at a later date. For now, though, they’ve a mission on.

“Don’t think there’s really anything else. Oh! Keep Carter out of… everything,” Cel says, and Barnes gives them a knowing look.

“I’ve been keeping Carter out of everything for eighteen months now, Cel. Trust me, I know all his tricks.” Barnes looks thoughtful for a second. “It’s kind of weird, actually. Been in a place for nearly 30 hours now, haven’t had to slap his hands away from some priceless gem or another.”

That… _is_ weird. Even considering that Carter had been dead for about 5 or 6 of those hours, it’s strange that neither Barnes, nor Cel, nor anyone else on the ship has had to keep an eye on him. “Hm. I hadn’t… actually realised. You’re right, though, he has been pretty… hands kept to self. Wonder what brought that on?”

“Dunno. He seems… different, since the… change? Not sure what to call it, really,” Barnes muses. “Maybe that made him mature a bit, yeah?”

Cel supposes he may have a point - they’ve definitely noticed that everyone else has been a bit different since getting out of that plane, although in mostly unnoticeable ways. Wilde’s been less cagey, and Sassraa’s been a bit more talkative to people other than Cel. It makes sense that Carter would maybe be a bit different as well. 

A bell tolls outside, signaling the hour, and Cel sighs and glances toward the door. 

“You should get going. Don’t let me distract you,” Barnes says, starting to get up until Cel pulls him back down. 

“But you’re such a wonderful distraction,” Cel says, admiring the red on Barnes’ cheeks, and then tugs him in close for a kiss - it’s just too hard _not_ to, sometimes. 

Barnes’ hands fall on their hips while Cel tilts his jaw, and they lose themselves in the press of his lips for a while. Their arms wind around his neck, keeping him close, and their goggles get knocked askew. They can’t help but laugh against his lips, feeling Barnes’ smile, and his hand travels up into their hair, running through the strands. 

Someone bangs on the door, and Cel pulls back with a disappointed noise, resting their forehead against Barnes’.

“What?” they call in the general direction of the door, wishing it could have lasted longer.

“Heading out in five!” Zolf’s voice comes through the door, and somehow, Cel can _hear_ the knowing smirk. “Meet us on the outskirts of the village, yeah?”

“Okay!” Cel calls back, and then mutters a number of unflattering words in Japanese under their breath. Barnes is the responsible one, this time, and stands, pulling Cel to their feet as well.

“Be safe, yeah?” Barnes says, and hands them their bag of holding. Cel takes it from him and ties it off on their belt, taking Barnes hands in theirs as they pull him toward the door with them. 

“I’ll be fine,” Cel says with a smile. 

“Aw, I know you will be,” Barnes replies, pressing a kiss to their cheek. “Still going to worry a bit until you’re back.”

“You’re sweet. If you want, you could, um. Meet me when we’re back?” they ask, strangely vulnerable in the quiet, and Barnes smiles. 

“Be waiting with open arms,” he says, like it’s as simple as that. Maybe it is. Maybe it can be.

“You can, um. I know this might be too forward, but I would hope not considering you spent the night here last night anyway, but, um. If we’re back late, you don’t - need to wait up? I mean. I’d be happy if you did! But don’t keep yourself up on my account. Exhaustion is, um, not a pretty look on anyone, regardless of how handsome they might be,” Cel says. Barnes blushes again, but less deep. “Anyway! I’m trying to say, um. You can… stay here? If you’d like, of course. In my. Room. Um. Oh! Here!” They dig through their pockets and pull out the key to the room, carefully placing it in Barnes’ hand. “If you. Want.”

Barnes stared down at the key in his palm and then curls his hand around the metal, looking up at Cel with a lopsided smile. “I’d be more than happy to,” he says, and, well, how is Cel _not_ supposed to kiss him again, after that?

They keep it chaste and brief, knowing that they really _do_ need to leave, unless they want Zolf - or, more likely, Azu - to come back and physically drag them to the birds. They break apart from him and head out, Barnes following in their footsteps, key still clutched in his hand.

“Stay safe,” he says again, and Cel nods. 

“Promise,” they say, with a final kiss to his cheek, and then sets off down the road. “I’ll be back soon!” 

Barnes waves after them as they set off down the street at a run, hoping that they haven’t kept everyone waiting for too long. 

**Author's Note:**

> anyways. yeah. hmu on ohallows on tumblr talk to me abt celbarnes i’m so weak for them. pocean nation where you AT it’s a hot nb person and a hot basically pirate how is there so little decent content for them PLEASE


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